The Price of Youth
by ZootyCutie
Summary: A potion mishap leaves two Halloween Town citizens at ages that are too young for their liking. On the brink of insanity, it's up to their friends to take care of them until a cure is found.
1. A Potion Request

This is my first Nightmare Before Christmas fan fiction that I've ever written. I own Chama and Boris, and I've given depth to a few characters. I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is owned by Disney and Tim Burton. No profit is meant to be made from this story. Enjoy!

* * *

It had only been a year since the biggest incident in Halloween Town. Everyone had learned their lesson: they have Halloween as their holiday, and to leave it as that. What made (nearly) everyone happy was that Oogie Boogie was gone. Or, so they thought.

Now that everyone knew that Oogie was merely a sackful of bugs, they knew that they didn't have to be afraid of him. Even better, when he was unraveled, that left him completely gone. Unfortunately, Lock, Shock, and Barrel had a scheme up their sleeves. They took an insect from Oogie that hadn't been killed to use as his hive mind, and simply replaced the other ones with new bugs. Even though Oogie was back, he kept a low profile. He seemed to be planning something, and his henchmen made sure to keep his newfound existence a secret.

* * *

Early the next morning, at Chama's Hut, there was a quick knock at the door, then the sound of clicking footsteps quickly running off. While the sound was unheard by the slumbering witch doctor, it was easily heard by Boris, her pet tarantula. He climbed out of his cage, and gently climbed onto Chama's bed. Tickling her arm gently with his hairy legs, he managed to wake her up.

"Enh…" Chama groaned, drowsily waking up, pulling her sleep mask up, and catching a quick glance at her bedside clock. "…Boris, why did you wake me up so early?"

Boris simply replied with some squeaking noises, and gestured towards the door. Slowly climbing out of bed, Chama walked over towards the door. There was no one there, but whoever had been their left a note.

_Dear Miss Chama,_

_I do hope if this is not a bother for you. The dear doctor's energy has been lacking lately due to old age and having to use half of his brain to create me. I was wondering if you could create a potion to help rejuvenate his mental youth. I have enclosed enough payment that I believe will be enough._

_Much Obliged, _

_Mrs. Finklestein_

Chama though this offer over. She hardly got to do work for anyone as important as the Finklesteins, and she would feel honored to do something that big. Smiling, she decided to take the offer. Quickly changing out of her pajamas, Chama got ready to create her potion. She laid out all of the ingredients she would need: crow feathers, alligator lips (in case you are wondering, yes, they are big), baby's breath, jumping bean juice, coffin beans, and her favorite ingredient: scarecrow straw. She mixed the ingredients in her cauldron, and quickly put on her mask, and grabbed her staff. She chanted a haunted chant while shaking her staff's hollowed out gourd-shakers. Finally, the incantation was complete. The potion had gone off without a hitch. Or, should I say _potions_. On top was a slightly thick and clear liquid. She quickly skimmed this off, and placed it in a vial that said "Liquid Endurance". She placed this in a package, and got it ready to be sent off.

The second liquid, however, was at the bottom of the cauldron. It was a sickly yellow color, and was much runnier than the other one. This liquid, she cautiously poured in an already existing vial with a label that included instructions.

_Age Affection Potion (residue of Liquid Endurance)_

_DIRECTIONS OF USE:_

_Add desired amount to any drinkable liquid. Effects work instantly._

_AMOUNT CHOICES:_

_1 drop will revert user to body and mindstate of a teenager._

_2 drops will revert user to body and mindstate of a child._

_3 drops will revert user to body and mindstate of an infant._

_UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD FOUR OR MORE DROPS BE ADDED._

_Effects are permanent until counter effect antidote is given._

"Well, we've got the order all ready." Chama said, as she grabbed a thick braided noose rope made of spider silk, tightening it around Boris like a collar and leash. "Come on, Boris. Let's get our walk in before breakfast while we deliver this."

Happily obliging, the tarantula quickly bounded towards the door, hardly leaving any time for his owner to grab the package. As soon as she was able to grab both the delivery and the leash, the two were out. Chama closed the door, and they walked down to the main part of town. So far, the day was going really great! Notice it said SO FAR…

* * *

"Ow! Quit squirming!"

"I'd quit squirming if you'd get your foot off my eye!"

"And I'd get my foot off your eye if you'd stop squirming!"

"I-I'm almost in!"

These three voices were coming from no other than Halloween Town's three troublemakers: Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They got up extra early (despite some tired protests) to get a head start on today's pranks. The terrible trio had watched Chama leave the house, and they waited until she turned the corner to start the plan. By forming a human ladder, the three of them managed to get into Chama's hut's window. The hastily looked around her home to see if there was something that they could use for their benefit.

"Hey, look at this!" Barrel said, grabbing an abandoned potion from the top of Chama's potion cupboard.

"Let me see that!" Lock said, hastily grabbing the bottle from Barrel's hands. He quickly read over the bottle's label, as a large, and evil looking smile grew on his face.

"I know that face!" Shock said, clasping her hands together in mischievous glee. "That's your 'I have a plan' face!"

"Exactly!" Lock said, hugging the bottle closer to him. "Let's get out of here. I know the perfect guinea pig to test this on!"

* * *

"…I'm just saying, Mayor. I already set myself on fire last year!"

"But it was a success then! It will be just as much this year!"

"I don't know…"

Jack was at the Mayor's house, deciding the plans for this year's Halloween. So far, it wasn't going smoothly. It was early, and neither of them was really ready to talk for the day. It would have gone a whole lot smoother sooner if SOMONE brought out their coffee sooner…

* * *

That "someone" would happen to be Wraps the Mummy. He was working as the Mayor's intern for the Halloween season, just like he did last year. It was really hard work for him. He was just a kid, and there was a big world out there that he wanted to explore. However, he had dreams. Dreams of one day being able to be one of the scariest monsters in all of Halloween Town. And, he decided this to himself: What better way to do that than to get a job that lets you see what the ideas of The Pumpkin King himself were?

Meanwhile, though. He was supposed to be getting coffee for Jack and the Mayor, though he got distracted while fixing it. After seeing a spider, he automatically thought it was Rosie, the Mayor's pet and necktie. Wanting to catch her, before she got lost, he ignored the two steaming mugs of coffee, and followed the spider into the foyer. This left the kitchen completely unoccupied, leaving it the prime spot for a prank.

With the potion bottle held safely in his mouth, Lock carefully scaled the side of the Mayor's house, and jumped through the window. The two cups of coffee were on a tray on the counter. All Lock had to do was put the potion in the right cup. But which one was Jack's? He was the one that was the planned prank target. Suddenly, he heard small bandaged feet walking back towards the kitchen. Hastily acting, he poured three drops into the nearest coffee mug, then grasped the bottle in his mouth again, and quickly scaled down the wall, just as soon as Wraps walked back in.

"I guess that wasn't Rosie." He said to himself, dusting his bandages off, and grabbing the cup of coffee. Because he was in a hurry, he didn't bother noticing that the steam coming out of one of the cups looked a little…off. The normal-looking one was black with a white skull and crossbones design on it. However, the one that was off-looking was split-colored peach and grey: the same colors as the two faces of the Mayor.


	2. Phase Two

"This is gonna be our greatest prank EVER!"

"Lock, I must say, you're a genius!"

"I know, aren't I?"

Lock, Shock, and Barrel were now at their tree house, enjoying their glory of their prank's success by enjoying a midmorning snack from their candy stash. Despite the first prank (seemingly, Lock didn't say what cup he put the potion in) went well, the trio were already bored for the day. They wanted someone to play with!

"So…" Barrel started, pondering in thought while licking his lollipop. "…Now what do we do?"

"We could play with Wraps." Lock suggested.

"No, he's still working." Shock said.

"Oh…then how about Gravel?"

"Keeping lookout on the roofs."

"Ethan?"

"Shopping with his mom."

"Chama?"

"Wait, what?" Shock said, suddenly surprised by the thought. "Why would we want to play with her? She's an adult!"

"But she has those robot figures!"

"They don't even transform like they're supposed to! What's the fun in playing with those?" Shock pointed out, and then added her own thought. "There are not enough kids in Halloween Town!"

"Yeah…" Lock said, sighing. Then, he noticed the still slightly full bottle of Age Affection Potion. "Hey, Shock…what day is it today?"

"It's Friday. Why?"

"You know what happens every time during lunch on Friday?"

"…Oogie makes us snake and spider stew?"

"Exactly!" Lock said, now standing up, and grabbing the potion. "Just two drops and we'll be getting a new playmate…"

* * *

"…I can't believe you did that to their yard, Boris."

Chama was coming back to her delivery and walk with Boris. While the delivery went off without a hitch, the walk didn't. Despite his apologetic squeaks, Chama wasn't fazed.

"I don't CARE if they were late with the payment last time! They're still valued customers!"

When she got to her hut, Chama twitched a little. Her aura was telling her something was up. Hurrying to open the door, she ran to one of her cabinets and unlocked it. Peering in it, she didn't notice anything weird, but she grabbed something anyways. It was a plastic robot action figure. He had five red eyes, and a purple and green hunched over body that looked like it had bomber plane attachments on it.

"Phew." She said, hugging onto her action figure. "Lugnut is okay. I don't know what I would have done if someone ransacked my hut."

She then put Lugnut back in his cabinet, and locked it again.

"Most of these things are dangerous to those that have no idea what they're doing." She added, while Boris squeaked out a question. "Yeah. Even the action figures. Those have pieces that are meant to pop off easily when you put force on them. That's a choking hazard!"

* * *

Lock, Shock, and Barrel made sure to get down to Oogie's lair extra early that afternoon. Due to the "Sandy Claws" incident stretching the transport pipe too much to send insects down, the trio simply used it now as their own personal way to get down to the casino-like prison. Instead of it being a chimney-like chute, it now worked as a quick, if not bumpy slide. The three tried to be as quiet as they could getting down to the lair, but Oogie, even with his lack of ears, and having his back turned from them.

"You're early." He said, back still turned, as the three quickly scrambled to their seats at the roulette wheel-turned-table. For reasons only known to him, Lock carefully pocketed the spoon that was in front of his place on the table.

"Um…we were hungry!" Lock lied, and then winked to Shock and Barrel. It was a "just-go-along-with-me" kind of wink, one that the three of them were familiar with, and could easily work with.

"Oh, yes!" Shock fibbed. "We were just so excited that it was Snake and Spider Stew Day that we couldn't wait for it! Isn't that right, Barrel?"

"Um…" Barrel said, not sure what to say. Though, the glares of his teammates made it clear what he should do. "…Yes!"

"You three are up to something." Oogie said, cocking a nonexistent eyebrow, and sliding the four bowls of soup in front of the places at the table, before sitting down in his own place. "I like it."

When everyone had their soup in their place, they started digging in. That is, except for Lock, who just sat their in silence for a few moments, before breaking it.

"…I don't have a spoon."

"Then go get one." Oogie said, not bothering to look down from his bowl.

"But you're closer to the drawer!"

"You're old enough to get it by yourself."

"…Please?"

"I have no idea why I'm doin' this." Oogie sighed, as he got up, and went to the cutlery drawer. While his back was turned, Lock leaned over, and added two drops of the potion into Oogie's soup…

* * *

"…The world is full of tragedy, so how can it be wrong? Singing death, death, death, death, devil, devil, evil, evil songs!"

Chama was busy multitasking. She was cleaning her hut, singing to one of her favorite songs, and waiting for her nettle tea to finish brewing. Her train of focus was quickly broken by a new song playing:

"…Does that make me crazy? Does that make me crazy? Does that make me crazy? Possibly…"

Quickly shutting off her stereo, Chama rushed to her spell phone, before it went to voice mail. She knew who it was just by the ringtone she set.

"Hey, Harlequin! How's it going?...No, that move won't work on a Ghost type. Well, I'm sorry, it's not my fault I didn't give Nibbles the Odor Sleuth move before we traded! No, you said you wanted a Munchlax, I said I wanted a Xatu. And now, I have Blinkers, and you have Nibbles. I'm not talking about this anymore. Good luck."

Chama hastily hung up, and sighed, as she slumped onto her bed. Boris, feeling concern for his master, climbed on his bed, and squeaked out.

"Don't worry, Boris." Chama said, smiling at her pet. "I'll be okay. It just seems that I'm always busy with something. I never seem to have true 'me time'."

As if it was fate, there was a fast and rapid knock at the door, and the sound of someone breathing very heavily.

"Better go get that." Chama said, as she stood up. "Wonder who it is."

When she opened the door, she was surprised at what she saw. It was Jack, though not in any state that she's seen him in. His suit was slightly disheveled, and his tie was crooked. There was a strange off-white splatter on his jacket, and he had a black widow spider on his head. He was holding…something…

"Jack!" Chama said, taken aback by the sight. "What happened to you?"

"I don't know!" Jack said. "I was just having my normal meeting with the Mayor, we had our coffee, and then…this!"

Without warning, he shoved what he was holding into Chama's face. It was a baby! But, somehow…he looked familiar. Then it dawned on Chama. The baby had a triangular build to his body. His cheeks were rosy. One of his eyes was solid black, the other was a spiral. He was wearing a suit that was meant for an adult, so it was nearly falling off of him. He was holding a giant stovepipe hat, and was chewing on it like it was a toy. It could only be one person: the Mayor.

* * *

(A/N: Ooh! Cliffhanger! Just in case you guys were wondering:

Gravel is my name for the Winged Demon, and Ethan is the Corpse Boy's name from the trading card game. The songs used were "Death Death (Devil Devil Evil Evil Song)" by Voltaire, and "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley.)


	3. The Second Test Subject

"H-how did this happen?!" Chama asked, the surprise of the situation shocking her enough to force her to sit down to avoid fainting.

"Like I said, meeting, coffee, this!" Jack said, himself sitting down from the shock.

Chama had invited Jack inside, and they were now having the freshly brewed nettle tea to try and calm their nerves. Boris was busy trying to woo Rosie (like he always tried, and now that she was off the Mayor's collar, it was much easier), while the Mayor just crawled around, trying to find something new to play with.

"This is weird for it to happen out of nowhere." Chama said, and then realized something. "Unless…"

Taking action, she quickly set her tea down and rushed over to her potion drawer, checking every single potion. When she couldn't find the one she was looking for, her face fell as she closed the cabinet.

"Yes…this is bad…"

"You know what happened to the Mayor?" Jack asked, placing his own cup down, and walking over to Chama.

"Unfortunately, yes." Chama said. "I was given an order from Mrs. Finklestein today. She ordered my Liquid Endurance potion, which effects mental youth. A natural residue of creating the potion is the Age Affection potion. It's got a compound that will change the user's age, depending how many drops were put in the liquid the user drank. Someone must have snuck into my hut and taken it!"

"Well, is there a remedy?"

"Yeah, but I need some of the Age Affection potion to make it!"

Chama then walked over to her spell book and flipped through the pages, stopping at the spell labeled "Re-Aging".

"It needs some of the potion to help counteract with the original. That's why you're not supposed to use more than three drops on someone. It also looks like I'll need some Deadly Nightshade and Mistletoe."

"Deadly Nightshade's in the graveyard," Jack said, remembering from when Sally used to poison Dr. Finklestein's soup. "But where is there any mistletoe in Halloween Town?"

"That's the problem," Chama said. "The only place we'd be able to find it is in the Hinterlands, on the Christmas Town tree."

"The Hinterlands?" Jack said, remembering last year. "But that's all the way in the middle of the forest! You'd need an extra set of legs to get there that fast!"

"Exactly. But we've got someone with twice that." Chama said, looking at the two arachnids in the corner, and leaning down to them. "Boris, I have a job for you. Rosie can come with you to keep you company."

The thought of being able to be alone with Rosie automatically made Boris want to do the job, whatever it was.

"I want you two to go into the graveyard and get some Deadly Nightshade, and into the Hinterlands to get some Mistletoe. Do you think you can do that?"

Give a salute and a squeak, Boris quickly grabbed the small back that Chama was holding out for him with his pincers, and scuttled out the door, with Rosie following behind.

"Good luck, you two." Chama called out, and then noticed what the Mayor had found to amuse himself: the gourds on Chama's staff. "No! Don't play with those!"

She quickly scooped the Mayor up, an upset face on her. Now with a lack of a toy, the Mayor's face quickly switched to his unhappy side, and cried out bloody murder. With the crying filling the entire hut, it was impossible to hear, let alone talk.

"Come with me!" Chama yelled out as loud as she could. "I think I know who stole my potion!"

* * *

"Do you have any threes?"

"Uh-uh. Go fish. Any kings?"

"Sorry, go fish. Hey, you got any aces?"

"Um…no?"

"You're cheating again! I know it!"

Lock, Shock, and Barrel were at their treehouse, playing cards with their newfound friend. Even for his age, he was a little cheater. Everything was pretty fun for the four of them, until the door was suddenly slammed open.

"Don't move!" Chama said, pointing her staff in front of her like a dowel rod. "I know it's in here!"

"You three are going to be in so much trouble when we find this!" Jack said, trying to hold onto the Mayor as well, who had now fallen asleep.

"J-Jack!" Lock said, in actual fear. "Y-you're still an adult!"

"Surprised?" Jack said, glaring at him. "You must have poured that potion in the wrong cup. Now, instead of dealing with a baby Pumpkin King, the town has to deal with a baby Mayor!"

He then shoved the baby in the faces of the kids, as Lock nervously pressed his index fingers together, while Shock glared at him.

"You IDIOT!" She screeched out, grabbing his neck and shaking him around. "You said you had this prank under control!"

Lock retaliated by stomping on Shock's foot, making her knock into Barrel, thus starting a brawl between the three of them. During the scuffle, Jack noticed a young boy watching the three of them fight. He hadn't seen him before in Halloween Town before, but he looked familiar to him. He was about to confront the child, when Chama suddenly popped up from behind the trio's walking bathtub, which currently looked like it was in a sleep-like state.

"I found the potion!" Chama said, holding her reward up. "Now we need to just wait for Boris and Rosie to come back."

As if it was fate, Chama's spell phone went off, the sound making Lock, Shock, and Barrel pause their miniature brawl for a moment. It sounded like an 8-bit instrumental version of a song that the street band played a lot, and one that Sally had adopted as her own little theme, meaning Chama adopted it as her personal ringtone for Sally.

"Hey, Sally!" Chama said, trying to sound as cheerful as she could, despite the stressors around her.

"Hi, Chama!" Sally replied. There were a few voices around her, meaning that she was in the Town Square. "I was wondering if you've seen Jack. I've tried to call his house, and when I tried the Mayor's house, Wraps said he was with you."

"Yeah, he's with me…the Mayor is too." Chama said, and then got an idea. Sally, do you think you could come over to my house soon? And bring some fabric with you?"

"Um…sure…" Sally said, sounding a little confused. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure if you can say that." Chama said. "If we're not there when you get there, just let yourself in, and we'll be right there. Okay, bye."

"…Bye…?"

Chama quickly hung up the phone, and turned to Jack.

"Well, we can head back to my place. Sally's going to be there to help us.

"That's great, but hang on." Jack said, turning once again to the new kid. "What exactly his your name?"

"Who, me?" He said. "I'm Oogie Boogie."


	4. The Consequence

"…You know how I said you three would be in so much trouble?" Jack asked Lock, Shock, and Barrel, an angry twitch forming on his face. "Scratch that. NOW you'll be in so much trouble that it'll take you so long to finish the punishment that you won't even know when it began!"

"Jack…let's go. Before you explode. Or get the Mayor to start crying with your ranting." Chama said, sounding strangely calm, as she grabbed onto Jack's arm, and pulled him towards the cage elevator. "Whichever comes first."

"But…but…" Jack muttered out, as the elevator went down. As soon as it got to the bottom, Jack crossly looked at Chama. "Why did you do that? I was about to punish them then and there! They brought back Oogie AND turned the Mayor into a baby! Why did you just leave them?"

"Do you remember in third grade? That whole prank war that the entire class got into?"

"…You mean the one that Oogie won? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Trust me. When you've been duct taped upside down to Oakley for an hour, and have to stare at the butt of one of his hanging men, you know what that sack is capable of." Chama pointed out. "Now, come on. Sally's waiting for us."

"There you guys are! I was wondering where you were, and--what is that…?"

"Long story. Just let us in, and we'll tell you." Jack said, sounding tired.

"Meeting, coffee, this." Chama added, pointing at the Mayor, who was now fully awake, and outstretching his arms for Sally to hold him. When she got him, she looked him over, and blinked in shock.

"Is…this the Mayor…?"

"…Yes…" Jack said, slumping down into a chair. "Blame Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They stole one of Chama's potions…and this happened.

"Brought Oogie Boogie back and turned him into a kid, too." Chama added.

"Someone has to lock those kids up someday." Sally said, as she noticed the off-white spot on Jack's suit jacket. "…Jack, what is that mark?"

"It's oatmeal."

"I thought you ate before you went to the meeting." Chama pointed out.

"…I never said it was my oatmeal, and I never said this happened during breakfast…"

"You mean...the Mayor…he did that to you…?" Sally asked, trying to hold in laughter.

"It's not funny!" Jack indignantly said. "I think I ran too fast to get to Chama's hut in the first place."

"Right. Sorry." Sally apologized. "So, what did you need the cloth for?"

"Well, we can't have a baby in the house wearing a business suit." Chama said. "I was thinking we could make a makeshift diaper for him."

"All right." Sally said, and then stood in silence as she realized something. "…Does anyone know how to put on a diaper on someone?"

"…No…" Jack said, realizing the same thing."

"Me neither." Chama admitted, but had a spark of hope in her eyes. "But I think I know someone who might."

"Pumpkin latte? Who ordered this? Come on! Somebody take this before I drink it!"

Hex hated her job. She was supposed to be a creature that hides under the bed, not someone working at Scarebucks at the mall! The hours seemed to go forever, and the pay was meant for a teenager. But, on the plus side, it got her out of the haunted house, and she got to drink any coffee that no one wanted. Thankfully, it was almost time for her break, and it looked like no one was claiming their drink.

"Last call for this, or--okay, it was yours. Fine, then. Come again."

Well, that was one drink that she wasn't going to enjoy over her break. But, in one minute, she'd get to chill at the mall for an hour. As she counted down the seconds, Jack, Sally, and Chama walked in.

"Hey, guys!" She called, waving them over. "I'd serve you if I could, but my break's about to start."

"Perfect." Chama said. "We need your help."

"Now when you say 'help', what are we talking about?" Hex asked. "Are we talking 'this-will-pass' help or 'we're-all-gonna-die-aren't-we' help?"

"I'd place it right in the middle of that." Jack said.

"…Come in the back." Hex said, opening the door to go behind the counter, and letting them in the employee area."

"So back up. Lock, Shock, and Barrel turned the Mayor into a baby, and resurrected Oogie Boogie, then turned him into a kid?!"

"That's pretty much the gist of it." Chama said.

"…And you need my help…why?"

"You still baby-sit your little cousin sometimes, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"So, you know how to put a diaper on, right?"

"…You so owe me big time for this. Just let me tell you one thing: we are NEVER speaking of this again."

"Agreed." Jack, Sally, and Chama said at the same time. Hex took the piece of cloth and safety pin that Sally had, and also grabbed a napkin from storage. She took off her apron, and laid it on the floor, then ushered Chama to give the Mayor to her.

"This feels so weird." Hex muttered to herself, as she put the Mayor down onto the apron, and pulled the already-almost off clothing off of him. Trying not to look at him (and avoid getting kicked or peed on), Hex managed to put on a semi-decent diaper on him.

"This'll do until tonight." Chama said, picking up the Mayor, as Sally took the clothing. "How can we ever thank you, Hex?"

"One. NEVER mention this. Two…give me half off on a potion."

"Twenty-five percent off."

"Fine. Twenty-five. Now, go on. I'm still on break."

"So…you want to go out sometime?"

"Aren't we already out?"

"No, I mean OUT out."

Boris and Rosie were still on their errand. So far, they had easily managed to locate the Deadly Nightshade, and were now midway in the Hinterlands, trying to find the mistletoe. Boris was a little distracted by Rosie, and wished he could tell her that.

"And when you say "out out", you mean like a date?" Rosie squeaked.

"Yeah! So how 'bout it?" Boris eagerly squeaked back.

"Mmm…I don't know. Rosie contemplated. "I mean, its tough being the Mayor's necktie. He chastised me so badly when I hid in his megaphone last year. Plus, there are plenty of other arachnids I might want to go with."

"…You don't mean Archie, do you?"

"…Maybe…"

"Why would you want to go out with him?! All he does is hang out on Westly's head all day, and that's it! I mean, a fashionable black widow like you should go with a handsome tarantula like me!"

"I don't even think I want to start a relationship." Rosie squeaked, as she climbed up the Christmas Town tree, and plucked some mistletoe off, tossing it into the bag that Boris held onto. "If I get serious with someone, I might just end up killing them."

"…Let's stay friends for a little while…"

"Good idea."

"So…now what?"

"Now we play the waiting game."

Jack, Sally, Chama, and the Mayor were now back at Chama's hut, waiting for the two arachnids to come back from their errand. The three adults were tiredly sprawled on chairs, while the Mayor happily sat on the floor, looking for anything interesting to play with or stick in his mouth. The pumpkin sun was setting in the sky, and the clock now seemed to take forever to move just a minute. When it seemed like an eternity had passed, two shapes scurried through the pet door on Chama's door. The squeaking of the door alerted the three of them, as Chama quickly scurried over to them to get the bag of ingredients.

"Thanks, you two!" She said, petting the two of them on their heads. "This is just what we'll need!"

She then looked towards the others, and smiled.

"You guys." She said. "It's time."


	5. The Cure

This potion was a delicate procedure. One wrong move and it would be ruined. The mistletoe berries had to be crushed, not chopped. Only one branch of Deadly Nightshade, or it would be overpowered with the narcotic effect. One drop of the original potion. More than that would drastically effect the users. No more than one tablespoon of sugar…because have you ever seen what happens when you give a kid too much sugar?

It wasn't just work for Chama, either. Jack and Sally had to keep the Mayor up for the entire thing. Even though it was dark out, and past the bedtime for an average baby, Chama insisted that he had to stay up. Sure, his cranky crying was a distraction, and Chama could swear that she heard some of the other citizens sleepily yelling from their houses for them to keep quiet, but she tried to ignore it. Finally, after a magical chant, the potion settled down enough, and it was ready.

"Finally!" Chama happily said, as she filled a baby bottle and a canteen with the potion. "Come on, you guys. It's time to set things right."

"So, Chama," Jack asked. "How exactly will this work?"

The four of them were now at the Mayor's house, preparing the first dose of the potion. Sally had found the Mayor's grey pajamas and nightcap, and placed them on him, trying to hold onto the squirming baby while attempting to keep the overly loose clothing on him.

"Well, it's different than the original potion." Chama explained. "Instead of working instantly, this potion acts like a narcotic. It puts the user to sleep instantly, but the aging effects don't take place until an hour after. When the user wakes up the next morning, they won't remember anything, just thinking that they had a dream. Now, just place the Mayor on his bed, and I'll give him this."

Sally did what she was told, being careful not to drop the squirming politician. Jack locked Rosie up in her cage (much to the annoyance of Boris), and Chama handed the Mayor the bottle. Noticing it, his face quickly changed to his happy side, and drank the potion. In a few moments, he was drifting off.

"Great!" Chama whispered. "The potion's working so far. Sally, could you watch him for a little while? We've got the easy half done. Now it's time for the tricky part…"

"Say 'Uncle'! Say it!"

"UNCLE! UNCLE! I GIVE! JUST PLEASE STOP!"

Meanwhile, at the tree house, Oogie had shown how powerful he could be, even as a kid. Right now, he had Barrel in a headlock and giving him a noogie with his free "hand". He had been through with this for about a half hour. He had already tried it against Lock and Shock, who were still rubbing their scalps. When the cage elevator suddenly came up, Oogie dropped Barrel down onto the floor, as Chama walked up to the small sack, a smile of slightly fake sweetness on her face, as she bent down the face him easier.

"Oogie, its way past your bedtime. Let's get you ready." She said, trying to sugarcoat her words, and preparing for what would happen next. His lip started to quiver, and he threw himself on the ground, screaming and pounding on the floor. While this took Lock, Shock, and Barrel by surprise, Jack and Chama just ignored it. They remembered this from kindergarten, where he would throw a tantrum like this before every naptime. Finally, when he couldn't cry anymore, he was just left laying there, a few empty sobs still escaping his throat.

"So," Chama asked, still sugarcoating her words "Now are we ready?"

"I'm not goin' to bed! Ya can't make me!"

Despite his protests, Chama had still managed to get Oogie into his slightly-too-large green-striped two-piece pajamas, tuck him in, and give him his little stuffed bug.

"I'm not trying to make you." Chama said, as she pulled a dusty-looking book off one of his shelves, and then held out the canteen. "By the way, are you thirsty?"

Oogie, not wanting to pass up free food, hastily grabbed the canteen and started drinking from it, as Chama started to read from the book:

"Vincent Malloy is seven years old,  
He's always polite and does what he's told.  
For a boy his age, he's considerate and nice,  
But he wants to be just like Vincent Price.

He doesn't mind living with his sister, dog and cats,  
Though he'd rather share a home with spiders and bat--"

Chama's story that she was reading was suddenly interrupted by a metallic clatter and a small snore. Just as she had expected, Oogie's gluttony got the best of him, and he drank the entire potion, quickly putting him into a sleep state. Smiling, Chama carefully put the book up and grabbed the canteen, then headed upstairs. Lock, Shock, and Barrel had fallen asleep due to Oogie's "enthusiasm" draining their energy, leaving Jack and Boris the only ones up, but they looked like they could go to sleep at any moment.

"Come on, you two." Chama said. "Let's get Sally and go. This is one day that we'll never forget."

The next morning, everything seemed to go like normal. Jack, Sally, Chama, and Hex kept their lips sealed about yesterday, and the Mayor told about the strangest dream that he had last night. No one knew that Oogie was brought back, and the four decided that it should be kept that way. While Hex did remind Chama about the potion discount, she still kept her end of the bargain about keeping quiet. All in all, even though it was tiring, it certainly was one of the most eventful days in Halloween Town.

"Boy, what a crazy day, huh Boris?"

Chama had finished her daily walk with Boris. She had closed down the shop for the day, to finally give herself some real "me time". As soon as she let the tarantula off of his leash, she noticed something on the door. It was another note from Mrs. Finklestein!

Dear Chama,

Thank you for the potion! It's worked wonderfully! The doctor has been coming up with new ideas faster than ever! He even finished a machine that he's been procrastinating on for the past month! I'm so thankful that I trusted you for the potion. I don't know who else I could have turned to.

Many thanks,

Mrs. Finklestein

PS:

Both of us have felt too embarrassed to ask him ourselves, but could you kindly ask Jack when he'll finally propose to Sally? We want grandkids!

Taking notice of the PS, Chama quickly tore that part off of the note, and threw it away. Halloween Town wasn't ready for new citizens. Even if they were old to begin with.

THE END

(A/N: Thanks for all the positive feedback I've gotten for this story! This is my first fan fiction that I've actually finished! Oh, and the story that Chama read was "Vincent", the classic poem written by Tim Burton.)


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